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The Florida Panthers put together one of their best efforts of the season on Tuesday, defeating the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes by a 4-1 score. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom nearly got his first career shutout, but a power play goal from the Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal with less than three minutes remaining spoiled that bid. The win snapped a four-game slide for the young netminder and was just his second win of the season.
The Panthers got four goals from an offense that has struggled to score for most of the season. Tomas Fleischmann, Marcel Goc, Shawn Matthias and Jerred Smithson all lit the lamp against Carolina, with two goals coming on the power play. Markstrom made 33 saves for the second time in three games, as the Panthers’ defense continues to let him face a lot of shots per game.
Markstrom is getting an extended chance to secure his future with the Panthers due to an injury to starter Jose Theodore and the continued ineffectiveness of backup Scott Clemmensen. He was the 31st overall pick in the 2008 draft, and is in the last season of his entry-level contract with the Panthers. Markstrom was 16-15-2 with three shutouts for the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage before being called up, and the win on Tuesday improved his mark with the Panthers this season to 2-5-1. His 2.96 goals-against average may not seem all that impressive, but in comparison to Theodore’s 3.29 mark or Clemmensen’s abysmal 4.14 mark, it looks pretty good. The win over the Hurricanes was a big step forward for Markstrom and the Panthers, and if he can keep performing at this level the Panthers would be wise to hang on to him.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL blogger for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JKatje or add him to you network on Google.
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